NOtivation
Every night on my drive home from work, I get motivated and think of all kinds of productive and proactive things to do, whether at home in the evenings or at work if it gets slow (which it is now, unfortunately). I mean, these are grand ideas: I’ll write a short story, I’ll start writing my novel, I’ll create a master to-do list for the house to be completed by June 2009, I’ll rewire our faulty motion light, etc., etc. And then somewhere on the walk from the garage to the house, those goals get shoved aside and replaced by the daily minutiae: Let the dog out, feed the cats, feed the fish, clean the litterbox, swiffer the dog hair, start dinner.
And then all I want to do is relax. There’s no thinking, no creativity; just sitting on the couch letting Jason extend his cribbage-winning streak to 63 games. (Which, by the way, OHMIGOD I fear I will never win another game EVER.)
I need a way to stop the cycle (the non-motivation cycle, not the cribbage losing, although I need to stop that as well). I need motivation. I need ideas.
How do you guys get motivated? Any ideas? (And please don’t tell me to get up earlier or I will laugh derisively in your direction.)
Don’t you just love those “get up earlier!” people? Hilarious.
I write lists down. If an actual list is staring me in the face, I feel the urge to cross things off of it, otherwise I just get crabby every time I see it.
Comment by Tessie — November 13, 2008 @ 12:04 pm
Let’s just say I’ll be interested to see what people suggest.
Comment by Nowheymama — November 13, 2008 @ 12:12 pm
OMG, I SWEAR I didn’t read your post before I just wrote mine…about lack of motivation. I’ll be coming back here to look for good ideas!
Comment by Becky — November 13, 2008 @ 12:26 pm
Man, I am in the same slump. I have grand, GRAND ideas, usually while in the shower, and then have no motivation to make it work.
I am actually starting to freak out a bit about it. Where is my focus? My drive? When did I become so lazy?
Lists are a HUGE help for me. If for no other reason than they REMIND me of my brilliant ideas. Because I forget. How can you start on a project you’ve forgotten about?
You get more done by noon than I do in a week, my dear. Perhaps you are just taking a much needed break?
Comment by Artemisia — November 13, 2008 @ 12:28 pm
I’m another list person. What you want to do is make small, achieveable list items. Like, instead of “Start my novel” being a list item, you’ll have a whole list on Start my Novel, and another whole list on Master To Do List. Then, vow to do one thing from the list before the cribbage game or while dinner is cooking, or whatever.
Comment by LoriD — November 13, 2008 @ 3:09 pm
My whole NoImYoSeMo? Totally working. Surprisingly effective really.
Comment by slynnro — November 13, 2008 @ 11:27 pm
Oh. Damn. I thought YOU were going to provide that answer, because I certainly don’t know.
Comment by Penny — November 14, 2008 @ 12:36 pm